WEBVTT 00:00:01.099 --> 00:00:03.799 I would like to commence by saying it is a real 00:00:03.799 --> 00:00:06.740 privilege to be here this evening, to have this 00:00:06.740 --> 00:00:10.660 opportunity to be in such a fine church, to see 00:00:10.660 --> 00:00:13.199 such a fine group of boys and girls, even though, 00:00:13.220 --> 00:00:15.400 as the pastor says, it's not the easiest thing 00:00:15.400 --> 00:00:18.440 to follow them, and to have the chance of sharing 00:00:18.440 --> 00:00:21.920 with you something of the burden which God has 00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:24.519 placed upon our hearts for the boys and girls 00:00:24.519 --> 00:00:27.620 of the continent of Europe and to which God called 00:00:27.620 --> 00:00:30.070 us a number of years ago as missionaries. with 00:00:30.070 --> 00:00:33.630 child evangelism fellowship i hope that you don't 00:00:33.630 --> 00:00:37.729 have too much problem with my irish accent i'll 00:00:37.729 --> 00:00:39.630 do my best at the beginning anyway to speak as 00:00:39.630 --> 00:00:41.509 slowly as possible i'll forget in about five 00:00:41.509 --> 00:00:43.909 minutes time but for the first few minutes i'll 00:00:43.909 --> 00:00:47.210 try to speak slowly i get into all kinds of problems 00:00:47.210 --> 00:00:50.350 over here in usa with my accent some of the words 00:00:50.350 --> 00:00:53.030 i say seem to be rather difficult to understand 00:00:53.030 --> 00:00:56.509 i remember and we were sharing with pastor again 00:00:56.509 --> 00:00:59.369 today i'd shared this story with him before but 00:00:59.770 --> 00:01:03.250 The very first time I ever came to USA, I came 00:01:03.250 --> 00:01:08.069 to the city of Kansas City. And when we count 00:01:08.069 --> 00:01:11.549 in Ireland, when we're counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 00:01:11.730 --> 00:01:15.250 6, 7, we're all right until we get to 7. And 00:01:15.250 --> 00:01:17.390 then over here in USA, the next number is the 00:01:17.390 --> 00:01:19.870 one that causes problems because we have a kind 00:01:19.870 --> 00:01:23.349 of a few peculiar sounds in Ireland. And it's 00:01:23.349 --> 00:01:26.349 the next number we pronounce it 8. E -I -G -H 00:01:26.349 --> 00:01:30.000 -T is 8. And so it's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 00:01:30.140 --> 00:01:32.879 If you knew how many telephone operators in USA 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:36.719 have had problems with me trying to understand 00:01:36.719 --> 00:01:40.459 telephone numbers that have 8s in them. And I 00:01:40.459 --> 00:01:42.939 was in Kansas City my first time here and I was 00:01:42.939 --> 00:01:45.879 walking in a store just down the aisle looking 00:01:45.879 --> 00:01:48.640 at the different things in the store. And a lady 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:51.780 stopped me and she said, excuse me, but... Could 00:01:51.780 --> 00:01:53.780 you tell me, please, what is the price of that 00:01:53.780 --> 00:01:55.799 article hanging up there on the wall? She said, 00:01:55.900 --> 00:01:57.819 I'm a little bit short -sighted and wondered, 00:01:57.939 --> 00:02:00.319 could you tell me? And when I looked up at the 00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:02.780 price, my heart dropped because I thought there's 00:02:02.780 --> 00:02:05.159 going to be a problem here. Because it wasn't 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:07.780 just one of these numbers, it was three of them. 00:02:08.139 --> 00:02:10.340 And there was one of them and then a dot and 00:02:10.340 --> 00:02:13.180 two more. And so I looked at the lady and told 00:02:13.180 --> 00:02:18.000 her 888. And for some reason I never could understand. 00:02:18.060 --> 00:02:21.610 She didn't appreciate my help. She looked at 00:02:21.610 --> 00:02:23.349 me and walked away, and it was only afterwards 00:02:23.349 --> 00:02:25.930 that I realized that she thought I was calling 00:02:25.930 --> 00:02:29.150 her names instead of telling her what the price 00:02:29.150 --> 00:02:33.349 was. I was at a Child Evangelism missionary conference 00:02:33.349 --> 00:02:37.729 several years ago, and I was up in Colorado Springs. 00:02:38.430 --> 00:02:41.189 And when I arrived there, the leaders of the 00:02:41.189 --> 00:02:43.650 conference asked me if I could put a display 00:02:43.650 --> 00:02:47.349 down in the missionary display area. I'm not 00:02:47.349 --> 00:02:49.430 a great display person. I never have one with 00:02:49.430 --> 00:02:52.430 me. And they said, could you put a display together? 00:02:52.710 --> 00:02:55.849 So I did my best and I went down to Woolworths 00:02:55.849 --> 00:02:59.669 in Denver, which they say is the largest Woolworths 00:02:59.669 --> 00:03:02.530 in the world. And so I went down into the basement 00:03:02.530 --> 00:03:05.169 and I went to the information desk and I said 00:03:05.169 --> 00:03:07.530 to the girl at the information desk, excuse me, 00:03:07.569 --> 00:03:09.150 but could you tell me where I could buy a map? 00:03:09.789 --> 00:03:13.090 And she said, yes, just walk down there and turn 00:03:13.090 --> 00:03:15.310 right and turn left and you'll find them there. 00:03:15.949 --> 00:03:18.409 and so i followed her instructions and i went 00:03:18.409 --> 00:03:20.870 down right and turned left and right and i found 00:03:20.870 --> 00:03:23.169 myself in the middle of brushes and buckets and 00:03:23.169 --> 00:03:26.210 all kinds of things for cleaning floors i couldn't 00:03:26.210 --> 00:03:29.090 see any maps and so i came back to the girl the 00:03:29.090 --> 00:03:32.069 information desk i said excuse me but i can't 00:03:32.069 --> 00:03:34.330 i didn't see any maps there she said where did 00:03:34.330 --> 00:03:35.990 you go and i told her she says that's where all 00:03:35.990 --> 00:03:38.909 the maps are she said what kind of a map are 00:03:38.909 --> 00:03:41.590 you looking for i said well i'm a missionary 00:03:41.590 --> 00:03:43.750 with child evangelism and i was looking for a 00:03:43.750 --> 00:03:48.419 map of europe I wanted to make a display. And 00:03:48.419 --> 00:03:50.060 she looked at me and said, oh, you mean a map. 00:03:53.319 --> 00:03:55.659 So I'm doing my best. I'm doing my best to try 00:03:55.659 --> 00:04:01.960 to learn to talk English the right way. I would 00:04:01.960 --> 00:04:04.580 like just to read to you from a chapter which 00:04:04.580 --> 00:04:07.620 is a very favorite chapter of mine and one which 00:04:07.620 --> 00:04:10.419 I turn back to periodically, both to read and 00:04:10.419 --> 00:04:13.180 also to preach. In the Acts of the Apostles, 00:04:13.180 --> 00:04:16.170 chapter 16. This is a chapter which means a lot 00:04:16.170 --> 00:04:18.470 to me for reasons which will be obvious as we 00:04:18.470 --> 00:04:21.610 read these verses together. But in Acts chapter 00:04:21.610 --> 00:04:27.810 16, we read, reading from verse 5, we'll just 00:04:27.810 --> 00:04:31.189 read a few verses. But reading from verse 5, 00:04:31.290 --> 00:04:33.170 we read, And so were the churches established 00:04:33.170 --> 00:04:35.870 in the faith, and increased in number daily. 00:04:36.370 --> 00:04:38.790 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia, that's 00:04:38.790 --> 00:04:42.149 this little party of Paul and Luke and Silas 00:04:42.149 --> 00:04:44.680 and Timothy, At least. Now when they had gone 00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:46.480 throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, 00:04:46.579 --> 00:04:49.220 and then we see a strange thing, and were forbidden 00:04:49.220 --> 00:04:52.480 of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia. 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:55.019 Forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word 00:04:55.019 --> 00:04:58.060 in Asia. After they were come to Mysia, they 00:04:58.060 --> 00:05:00.920 are said to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:04.220 suffered them not. Now here in verses 6 and 7, 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:07.660 we have the first of three experiences which 00:05:07.660 --> 00:05:10.639 this little party passed through in these few 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:15.500 verses. They tried to go into Asia, but the Holy 00:05:15.500 --> 00:05:18.500 Ghost said no. They tried to go into Bithynia, 00:05:18.620 --> 00:05:21.459 but the Spirit suffered them not. And this is 00:05:21.459 --> 00:05:24.439 the experience of closed doors. Closed doors. 00:05:25.439 --> 00:05:28.180 And there are times, dear friends, when God closes 00:05:28.180 --> 00:05:31.439 doors. There are places that we want to go. There 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:34.100 are places that we want to go and minister. There 00:05:34.100 --> 00:05:37.019 are forms of service we want to engage in, and 00:05:37.019 --> 00:05:39.680 yet sometimes, in a very clear and definite way, 00:05:39.860 --> 00:05:43.339 God closes the door. And the Spirit suffers us 00:05:43.339 --> 00:05:46.040 not. The Holy Spirit says in our hearts, no, 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:48.980 that's not the thing to do. Paul here and his 00:05:48.980 --> 00:05:52.660 little party experienced closed doors. It could 00:05:52.660 --> 00:05:54.240 be that there's someone in this congregation 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:56.560 tonight, and you're going through exactly that 00:05:56.560 --> 00:05:58.879 experience. There was something you felt you 00:05:58.879 --> 00:06:01.060 should do. There was a direction you felt you 00:06:01.060 --> 00:06:03.480 should go in. There was something which you thought 00:06:03.480 --> 00:06:05.939 God had laid upon your heart. It seemed good. 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:08.420 It seemed right. There was a need there. You 00:06:08.420 --> 00:06:11.459 tried to go in that direction, and yet God has 00:06:11.459 --> 00:06:14.480 very clearly and very definitely closed the door. 00:06:14.620 --> 00:06:19.019 The experience of closed doors. Verse 8, our 00:06:19.019 --> 00:06:21.939 next verse. This little group we read, they passing 00:06:21.939 --> 00:06:25.480 by Mysia, came down to Troas. I don't know how 00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:28.980 Paul was feeling. I think if I had been in Paul's 00:06:28.980 --> 00:06:31.639 position at this particular moment, I think I 00:06:31.639 --> 00:06:34.100 might have felt a little bit confused, wondering, 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:37.459 why did God not allow me to go there? Why did 00:06:37.459 --> 00:06:40.740 God close that door? Why has God said no to me 00:06:40.740 --> 00:06:43.500 when I wanted to do two good things? I wanted 00:06:43.500 --> 00:06:45.779 to go to these two places where there was such 00:06:45.779 --> 00:06:48.519 a great need. Perhaps Paul was confused. I don't 00:06:48.519 --> 00:06:51.490 know. Certainly, I'm sure he was praying. And 00:06:51.490 --> 00:06:54.230 so we read in verse 9, And a vision appeared 00:06:54.230 --> 00:06:57.269 to Paul in the night. As he comes down into Troas 00:06:57.269 --> 00:07:00.089 on the coastline there of Turkey, of Asia Minor, 00:07:00.310 --> 00:07:02.910 a vision appeared to Paul in the night. There 00:07:02.910 --> 00:07:06.389 stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him saying, 00:07:06.529 --> 00:07:11.089 Come over into Macedonia and help us. And this 00:07:11.089 --> 00:07:13.930 was the second experience. Because immediately 00:07:13.930 --> 00:07:17.230 following the experience of closed doors, there 00:07:17.230 --> 00:07:21.680 was the experience of clear direction. Clear 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:24.560 direction. And Paul was learning a lesson that 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:27.439 many of us need to learn. That there are times 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:31.300 when God closes doors so that he can give us 00:07:31.300 --> 00:07:35.920 clear direction. Very often and completely another 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:38.939 direction altogether. He leads us in another 00:07:38.939 --> 00:07:42.439 way. But God gives us clear direction. I would 00:07:42.439 --> 00:07:44.759 say to anyone in the congregation tonight who 00:07:44.759 --> 00:07:47.920 is going through the experience of closed doors, 00:07:48.060 --> 00:07:51.939 be patient. Wait upon the Lord and before long 00:07:51.939 --> 00:07:54.680 God will do for you what he did for this little 00:07:54.680 --> 00:07:57.680 party of missionaries and he will give you, as 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:00.319 he gave Paul, clear direction. Come over into 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:03.740 Macedonia. Come over into Macedonia, Paul heard, 00:08:03.980 --> 00:08:07.579 and help us. The reason why I like this text 00:08:07.579 --> 00:08:11.040 in Acts 16 verse 9 is because Macedonia is in 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:14.000 Europe and we feel a special affinity for this 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:17.319 text. Macedonia is over in the southeastern corner 00:08:17.319 --> 00:08:20.339 of Europe. Most of it lies behind the Iron Curtain. 00:08:20.600 --> 00:08:23.279 Most of it's in the country of Bulgaria, with 00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:25.879 a part of it spreading into Yugoslavia and a 00:08:25.879 --> 00:08:28.339 part down into Greece. But this is a European 00:08:28.339 --> 00:08:31.860 text, in a sense. And here Paul hears this clear 00:08:31.860 --> 00:08:35.779 direction, come over into Macedonia and help 00:08:35.779 --> 00:08:39.000 us. And then comes the third experience. And 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:41.480 in a sense, the most important one of all, verse 00:08:41.480 --> 00:08:44.639 10. And after he had seen the vision, remember, 00:08:44.960 --> 00:08:49.909 close doors. Clear direction. And after he had 00:08:49.909 --> 00:08:54.549 seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to 00:08:54.549 --> 00:08:58.570 go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the 00:08:58.570 --> 00:09:01.669 Lord had called us to preach the gospel unto 00:09:01.669 --> 00:09:05.190 them. And this is the experience of complete 00:09:05.190 --> 00:09:09.730 dedication. Complete dedication. God closed the 00:09:09.730 --> 00:09:12.710 door. God closed another door. God gave clear 00:09:12.710 --> 00:09:15.470 direction, and then from the heart of Paul and 00:09:15.470 --> 00:09:18.289 his little missionary party came this attitude 00:09:18.289 --> 00:09:21.149 of complete dedication. Lord, if that's where 00:09:21.149 --> 00:09:23.730 you want us to go, if that's where you want us 00:09:23.730 --> 00:09:27.090 to tell the good news, immediately we endeavor 00:09:27.090 --> 00:09:31.649 to go into Macedonia. As far as Paul was concerned, 00:09:31.850 --> 00:09:36.110 it was just another... instance in his life of 00:09:36.110 --> 00:09:38.590 doing what God told him to do. Paul often did 00:09:38.590 --> 00:09:41.509 this. God often directed him and Paul just immediately 00:09:41.509 --> 00:09:45.389 did what God told him to do. But what Paul didn't 00:09:45.389 --> 00:09:48.250 know was this, that what happened in Acts chapter 00:09:48.250 --> 00:09:51.690 16 verse 10 was one of the most important events 00:09:51.690 --> 00:09:54.370 in the history of the world. This was a turning 00:09:54.370 --> 00:09:57.450 point in church history. Why did God close that 00:09:57.450 --> 00:10:00.620 door and that door into Asia Minor? Why did God 00:10:00.620 --> 00:10:03.480 turn Paul and his little group from Asia Minor 00:10:03.480 --> 00:10:05.940 and turn their footsteps over onto the mainland 00:10:05.940 --> 00:10:10.419 of Europe? Because God knew, looking into the 00:10:10.419 --> 00:10:12.919 future years, looking into the future centuries, 00:10:13.340 --> 00:10:17.100 looking into the next 1 ,000, 2 ,000 years, God 00:10:17.100 --> 00:10:20.740 knew that Europe was going to be the continent 00:10:20.740 --> 00:10:22.919 where the Christian church was going to become 00:10:22.919 --> 00:10:25.779 best established, especially in those early days 00:10:25.779 --> 00:10:28.519 in the southern parts of Europe. God knew that 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:30.620 Europe was going to be the continent of the Reformation. 00:10:31.559 --> 00:10:34.100 God knew that Europe was going to be the continent 00:10:34.100 --> 00:10:36.360 where the modern missionary movement would be 00:10:36.360 --> 00:10:39.299 born. God knew that Europe was going to be a 00:10:39.299 --> 00:10:42.059 continent of revivals. God knew that Europe was 00:10:42.059 --> 00:10:44.620 going to be a continent from which many people 00:10:44.620 --> 00:10:46.720 were going to come to the United States of America 00:10:46.720 --> 00:10:49.820 and form this Christian nation which in its turn 00:10:49.820 --> 00:10:52.379 was going to become the greatest missionary assembly 00:10:52.379 --> 00:10:54.240 nation in the history of the world. God knew 00:10:54.240 --> 00:10:57.879 all that. God knew that. And God said to Paul, 00:10:57.980 --> 00:11:00.240 Paul, I want you to go to Europe. It could be, 00:11:00.279 --> 00:11:02.620 I say to young people, especially here this evening, 00:11:02.820 --> 00:11:06.940 God calls us, God gives us clear direction. He 00:11:06.940 --> 00:11:09.320 looks for complete dedication in our hearts. 00:11:09.379 --> 00:11:12.100 And you never know, and I never know, and Paul 00:11:12.100 --> 00:11:16.139 never knew all the results of that step of complete 00:11:16.139 --> 00:11:19.179 dedication. He never knew what was going to happen 00:11:19.179 --> 00:11:22.440 just because that particular day he said yes 00:11:22.440 --> 00:11:24.659 to the Lord and he went over onto the mainland 00:11:24.659 --> 00:11:30.159 of Europe. Dear friends, Europe today, the continent 00:11:30.159 --> 00:11:33.639 from which I come, I'm a European. The continent 00:11:33.639 --> 00:11:38.460 from which I come is needier today than it was 00:11:38.460 --> 00:11:40.759 2 ,000 years ago when Paul first went there. 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:44.700 There are more un -evangelized people in Europe 00:11:44.700 --> 00:11:48.460 today than there were in the days of the Apostle 00:11:48.460 --> 00:11:52.559 Paul. And there's a real sense in which Europe 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:56.000 would say to you here in Grace Church in Roseville, 00:11:56.059 --> 00:11:59.100 would say to people here in USA, Europe would 00:11:59.100 --> 00:12:02.700 say, come over into Macedonia, come over into 00:12:02.700 --> 00:12:06.580 Europe and help us. We need you. We need the 00:12:06.580 --> 00:12:08.860 gospel. We need missionaries. We need workers. 00:12:10.159 --> 00:12:13.179 When I come to speak in churches in USA and I 00:12:13.179 --> 00:12:15.419 speak about the mission field and I speak about 00:12:15.419 --> 00:12:17.600 missionaries and I speak about mission needs, 00:12:17.740 --> 00:12:20.539 I find that for some reason I find difficult 00:12:20.539 --> 00:12:23.870 to understand I find that for some reason when 00:12:23.870 --> 00:12:27.129 most people think of the mission field, and you 00:12:27.129 --> 00:12:30.049 can test yourself to see if I'm correct, but 00:12:30.049 --> 00:12:32.029 when most people think of the mission field, 00:12:32.169 --> 00:12:36.870 they think of Africa, or India, or Japan, or 00:12:36.870 --> 00:12:39.269 Latin America. Now all those are mission fields, 00:12:39.330 --> 00:12:42.389 don't get me wrong. But how many of us think 00:12:42.389 --> 00:12:44.210 of Europe when we think of the mission field? 00:12:45.250 --> 00:12:47.610 How many of us realize that in Europe we have 00:12:47.610 --> 00:12:51.379 three times the population of USA? Three times 00:12:51.379 --> 00:12:54.659 the total population of your country in Europe, 00:12:54.759 --> 00:12:58.799 and well over 75 % of them have yet to hear the 00:12:58.799 --> 00:13:02.759 gospel for the first time. These are facts that 00:13:02.759 --> 00:13:05.840 many people don't understand about Europe. I 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:09.100 was preaching in a church just some months ago. 00:13:09.379 --> 00:13:12.360 I was invited to go and preach in a church in 00:13:12.360 --> 00:13:15.639 the southern suburbs of Paris, the capital of 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:17.639 France, a city of five and a half million people. 00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:21.179 And in the southern suburbs of Paris, close to 00:13:21.179 --> 00:13:23.419 Orly Airport, for those of you who know Paris, 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:27.000 in a suburb close to Orly Airport, I was to preach 00:13:27.000 --> 00:13:30.539 in a little church there. It's a suburb of, say, 00:13:30.740 --> 00:13:35.179 100, 120 ,000 people. I preached in the church. 00:13:35.259 --> 00:13:38.220 I came to the church. It was the basement of 00:13:38.220 --> 00:13:40.899 an apartment block. And to get into the church, 00:13:40.940 --> 00:13:43.940 I went down the stairs into the basement with 00:13:43.940 --> 00:13:46.120 just a few little windows up around the top of 00:13:46.120 --> 00:13:48.850 the wall. And in the basement of that apartment 00:13:48.850 --> 00:13:53.950 block that morning were about 55 people. Men, 00:13:54.250 --> 00:13:58.210 women, teenagers, boys and girls. I preached 00:13:58.210 --> 00:14:00.509 to the congregation. Afterwards, I talked to 00:14:00.509 --> 00:14:03.090 the pastor. And I said to the pastor, how many 00:14:03.090 --> 00:14:06.610 churches are there here in this community? How 00:14:06.610 --> 00:14:08.870 many churches like yours? How many churches are 00:14:08.870 --> 00:14:11.049 there? And he looked at me in surprise. He said, 00:14:11.090 --> 00:14:15.090 this is the only one. He says, this is the only 00:14:15.090 --> 00:14:19.740 one. gospel witness in this suburb of Paris with 00:14:19.740 --> 00:14:23.980 120 ,000 people, a little basement church with 00:14:23.980 --> 00:14:26.759 55 people counting boys and girls. Now that's 00:14:26.759 --> 00:14:30.100 typical of France. And the pastor looked at me 00:14:30.100 --> 00:14:31.899 and said, if you had come here 10 years ago, 00:14:31.940 --> 00:14:34.950 we weren't here. He says, I started this church 00:14:34.950 --> 00:14:37.769 10 years ago. Before I came and started this 00:14:37.769 --> 00:14:40.870 gospel witness, there was no gospel witness whatsoever. 00:14:41.409 --> 00:14:44.090 Never had been a gospel witness in this community 00:14:44.090 --> 00:14:48.929 until 10 years ago. We are a burden for Europe. 00:14:50.210 --> 00:14:52.830 God has placed upon our hearts, not just a burden 00:14:52.830 --> 00:14:54.929 for Europe, God has placed upon our hearts a 00:14:54.929 --> 00:14:57.970 burden for the children of Europe. And we ask 00:14:57.970 --> 00:15:00.289 ourselves the question, what chance have kids 00:15:00.289 --> 00:15:04.559 got? Growing up in communities like that, when 00:15:04.559 --> 00:15:06.779 I can sit down here in your congregation this 00:15:06.779 --> 00:15:08.700 evening and look at these children up on the 00:15:08.700 --> 00:15:11.860 platform and realize what these children possess, 00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:14.840 the background that they have, the parents they 00:15:14.840 --> 00:15:17.139 have, the church they have, the Sunday school 00:15:17.139 --> 00:15:19.519 they have, the Christian school that many of 00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:22.279 them attend. And I think of the multitude of 00:15:22.279 --> 00:15:24.720 our boys and girls over there in Europe who haven't 00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:29.600 the faintest idea who God is. Having the faintest 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:33.259 idea what Jesus Christ did for them. Have never 00:15:33.259 --> 00:15:36.620 heard what sin really is. Don't know what salvation 00:15:36.620 --> 00:15:39.620 is. Have never heard that Jesus Christ died for 00:15:39.620 --> 00:15:42.340 them on the cross. This is the burden which God 00:15:42.340 --> 00:15:46.139 has placed upon our hearts. We were born in Belfast, 00:15:46.179 --> 00:15:49.019 Northern Ireland. That's our home city. We grew 00:15:49.019 --> 00:15:52.519 up there. I was a high school teacher in Belfast. 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:54.980 I graduated from college, went into high school. 00:15:55.649 --> 00:15:57.950 teaching high school. In my first year of high 00:15:57.950 --> 00:15:59.889 school, I heard the gospel for the first time. 00:16:00.769 --> 00:16:03.470 I was evangelized by a young missionary on a 00:16:03.470 --> 00:16:06.629 one -to -one basis. First of all, my wife and 00:16:06.629 --> 00:16:09.289 then I trusted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. 00:16:10.250 --> 00:16:13.049 The very first prayer almost we prayed was, Lord, 00:16:13.129 --> 00:16:15.649 show us what you want us to do. What ministry 00:16:15.649 --> 00:16:17.629 do you want us in? What work do you want us to 00:16:17.629 --> 00:16:20.370 get involved in? And almost immediately, God 00:16:20.370 --> 00:16:22.389 showed us that our ministry was to be with little 00:16:22.389 --> 00:16:25.120 boys and girls, little children. Children in 00:16:25.120 --> 00:16:28.200 Ireland. And for 14 years we worked with our 00:16:28.200 --> 00:16:31.960 own Irish boys and girls with Child Evangelism 00:16:31.960 --> 00:16:36.120 Fellowship in Ireland. Almost 20 years ago we 00:16:36.120 --> 00:16:39.840 came here to USA and we were invited by Child 00:16:39.840 --> 00:16:42.700 Evangelism Fellowship to be missionaries with 00:16:42.700 --> 00:16:45.940 Child Evangelism Fellowship in Europe. To move 00:16:45.940 --> 00:16:49.159 over onto the mainland of Europe and to try to 00:16:49.159 --> 00:16:52.759 build a work. which would reach these unreached 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:55.500 children of Europe with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:16:56.259 --> 00:16:59.279 Almost 20 years ago, we said yes to this invitation. 00:16:59.820 --> 00:17:02.820 And this has been our ministry and our work almost 00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:06.079 for 20 years. We're in our 20th year as European 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:09.000 directors of Child Evangelism Fellowship. We 00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:11.660 moved over to live in Switzerland so that we 00:17:11.660 --> 00:17:14.380 could be right in the center of Europe, so that 00:17:14.380 --> 00:17:17.539 we could be in a strategic place from which we 00:17:17.539 --> 00:17:19.660 could build this work to reach these unreached 00:17:19.660 --> 00:17:23.740 children. It has pleased God during these 20 00:17:23.740 --> 00:17:26.759 years. For some reason only known to himself, 00:17:27.140 --> 00:17:30.940 it has pleased God to bless the ministry. When 00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:34.779 we came into the work in 1964, there were 40 00:17:34.779 --> 00:17:37.240 full -time child evangelism fellowship workers 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:41.039 in Europe. 40 altogether. 35 of them were missionaries 00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:45.420 from USA and Canada. Today, instead of 40 full 00:17:45.420 --> 00:17:48.960 -time workers, we have 253 full -time workers. 00:17:49.609 --> 00:17:52.049 God has multiplied our ministry six and a half 00:17:52.049 --> 00:17:54.589 times. And I think one of the most wonderful 00:17:54.589 --> 00:17:58.829 things is that we still just have 35 or 40 missionaries 00:17:58.829 --> 00:18:02.670 from USA and Canada. But we have over 200 full 00:18:02.670 --> 00:18:06.490 -time Europeans who are working full -time reaching 00:18:06.490 --> 00:18:10.250 boys and girls in Europe with the gospel of Jesus 00:18:10.250 --> 00:18:13.230 Christ in their own language. God has richly 00:18:13.230 --> 00:18:16.609 blessed the work. We would be very, very thankful 00:18:16.609 --> 00:18:20.309 indeed if you would... As God speaks to your 00:18:20.309 --> 00:18:23.130 heart, if you would start to pray in a new way 00:18:23.130 --> 00:18:26.450 for Europe and for Europe's children and for 00:18:26.450 --> 00:18:29.049 our ministry among the boys and girls of Europe. 00:18:29.809 --> 00:18:32.829 As you pray for us, if it comes to your mind, 00:18:32.990 --> 00:18:37.769 for Sam and Sadie Dacherday, as you pray for 00:18:37.769 --> 00:18:40.769 us in our ministry with Europe's children, remember 00:18:40.769 --> 00:18:44.329 just three words. To make it easy, there are 00:18:44.329 --> 00:18:46.789 three things that we're trying to do in Europe. 00:18:47.470 --> 00:18:50.990 Three basic ministries which God has placed upon 00:18:50.990 --> 00:18:53.569 our heart so that children will hear the gospel. 00:18:53.750 --> 00:18:57.869 Number one, our first ministry is a ministry 00:18:57.869 --> 00:19:02.710 to reach unreached children in Europe with the 00:19:02.710 --> 00:19:06.349 gospel. To reach these kids in communities where 00:19:06.349 --> 00:19:10.069 they're born, grow up, become teenagers, get 00:19:10.069 --> 00:19:15.130 married, grow old, and die without ever once. 00:19:16.600 --> 00:19:20.900 ever hearing the gospel. You see, friends, one 00:19:20.900 --> 00:19:23.480 of the big differences between America and Europe, 00:19:23.579 --> 00:19:26.319 now I know there's a big need in America. I know 00:19:26.319 --> 00:19:28.380 that America is a country where there's a need 00:19:28.380 --> 00:19:31.579 for much evangelism. But one of the big needs 00:19:31.579 --> 00:19:35.940 between Europe and America is this. If anybody 00:19:35.940 --> 00:19:39.859 in America is not saved, it's their own fault 00:19:39.859 --> 00:19:45.420 they're not saved. The gospel is there. The gospel's 00:19:45.420 --> 00:19:48.940 on the radio. The gospel's on TV. The gospel's 00:19:48.940 --> 00:19:51.180 been preached through churches here and churches 00:19:51.180 --> 00:19:54.380 there. But you see, when people in Europe, when 00:19:54.380 --> 00:19:56.779 children in Europe are not saved, it's not because 00:19:56.779 --> 00:20:00.579 they deliberately turn their back upon the gospel 00:20:00.579 --> 00:20:05.299 often. It's because they never hear it. They 00:20:05.299 --> 00:20:07.000 have never heard it from the day they're born 00:20:07.000 --> 00:20:08.880 until the day they die. They have no chance to 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:11.140 hear the gospel. How can they hear without a 00:20:11.140 --> 00:20:14.920 preacher? I know cities and communities of 20 00:20:14.920 --> 00:20:18.759 ,000, 30 ,000, 40 ,000, 50 ,000 where there's 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:22.700 no gospel witness at all. Never has been. And 00:20:22.700 --> 00:20:25.180 as things stand the way they are at the moment, 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:29.299 there never will be. And we want to reach these 00:20:29.299 --> 00:20:32.740 boys and girls. We want to reach them. Just simply 00:20:32.740 --> 00:20:35.460 go and tell them that Jesus Christ died for them, 00:20:35.500 --> 00:20:38.019 that Jesus Christ loves them and wants to save 00:20:38.019 --> 00:20:41.130 them and make them into new creatures. And we 00:20:41.130 --> 00:20:43.009 are thankful that last year in our different 00:20:43.009 --> 00:20:45.670 ministries, in Child Evangelism Fellowship in 00:20:45.670 --> 00:20:49.089 Western Europe, we were able to reach over 120 00:20:49.089 --> 00:20:52.630 ,000 such boys and girls with the gospel last 00:20:52.630 --> 00:20:57.509 year. Over 120 ,000 children, many of whom, most 00:20:57.509 --> 00:21:01.029 of whom, had never heard the gospel before. Our 00:21:01.029 --> 00:21:05.109 first ministry is reaching, reaching the unreached 00:21:05.109 --> 00:21:08.210 children. As you pray for us, pray that we'll 00:21:08.210 --> 00:21:11.339 be able to reach more. of Europe's unreached 00:21:11.339 --> 00:21:14.319 children. Our second ministry and the second 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:17.619 key word, the second burden which God has placed 00:21:17.619 --> 00:21:23.000 upon our heart, is a burden to train, to teach 00:21:23.000 --> 00:21:27.190 Europeans how to reach children. So that we don't 00:21:27.190 --> 00:21:29.650 as missionaries go out and do all the work. But 00:21:29.650 --> 00:21:32.170 that we will educate and train our Europeans. 00:21:32.390 --> 00:21:35.390 I can remember when we came to USA for the first 00:21:35.390 --> 00:21:38.210 time. And we attended the training school here 00:21:38.210 --> 00:21:41.130 in USA. We had to come here because there was 00:21:41.130 --> 00:21:43.869 no training school in Europe. There was nowhere 00:21:43.869 --> 00:21:45.950 in Europe where we could get our training. So 00:21:45.950 --> 00:21:48.970 we came to USA. And one of the burdens which 00:21:48.970 --> 00:21:51.950 God placed upon our hearts. Was that when we 00:21:51.950 --> 00:21:55.019 would go back to Europe. we should start our 00:21:55.019 --> 00:21:58.079 own training school. We should start a place 00:21:58.079 --> 00:22:00.299 where we could train Europeans, where we could 00:22:00.299 --> 00:22:03.759 educate Europeans, so that they could be trained 00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:05.759 in their own language, in their own culture, 00:22:05.819 --> 00:22:08.200 to reach their own children with the gospel. 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:14.180 God led us to Switzerland. In 1971, we purchased 00:22:14.180 --> 00:22:17.039 a property up there in the northwestern corner 00:22:17.039 --> 00:22:20.319 of Switzerland. It's a place called Kiltsimmer. 00:22:20.890 --> 00:22:23.170 It's in the German -speaking part of Switzerland, 00:22:23.250 --> 00:22:26.769 almost at the German border. When we found it 00:22:26.769 --> 00:22:30.710 first, when we saw it first, 1971, and it was 00:22:30.710 --> 00:22:34.430 an old, desolate piece of property, which would 00:22:34.430 --> 00:22:37.190 have qualified for a haunted house and television, 00:22:37.470 --> 00:22:41.170 hadn't been lived in for years, 65 rooms, one 00:22:41.170 --> 00:22:45.809 bathroom, cold water taps on each floor, holes 00:22:45.809 --> 00:22:49.869 in the roof, holes in the ceilings, windows blown 00:22:49.869 --> 00:22:55.140 out, cobwebs, hadn't just desolate. And yet when 00:22:55.140 --> 00:22:57.079 we saw this place, we saw the possibilities. 00:22:57.839 --> 00:23:01.960 And we bought the place in 1971 and we started 00:23:01.960 --> 00:23:05.279 to rebuild it. It took us eight years. But we 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:07.480 have rebuilt that place until today. We have 00:23:07.480 --> 00:23:10.180 our own school and we have our own headquarters 00:23:10.180 --> 00:23:13.039 up there in the beautiful mountains of northwestern 00:23:13.039 --> 00:23:16.079 Switzerland. We have a full -time staff of 31. 00:23:17.019 --> 00:23:19.759 31 qualified people who are working with us there 00:23:19.759 --> 00:23:25.359 at our headquarters. If you come to Europe, if 00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:27.079 you should happen to pass through Switzerland, 00:23:27.279 --> 00:23:31.640 come and visit us. See what God has done. Let 00:23:31.640 --> 00:23:34.339 us know in good time that you're coming so that 00:23:34.339 --> 00:23:36.839 we can be ready for you and we would be happy 00:23:36.839 --> 00:23:40.220 to show you the beautiful school which God has 00:23:40.220 --> 00:23:43.579 given us up there in the Swiss mountains. I was 00:23:43.579 --> 00:23:46.640 just counting up recently. That up until last 00:23:46.640 --> 00:23:49.920 year, from that school we have now graduated 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:54.619 over 1 ,000 students from the school which God 00:23:54.619 --> 00:23:57.779 placed upon our hearts. These are mature students. 00:23:57.940 --> 00:23:59.960 These are pastors, missionaries, Bible school 00:23:59.960 --> 00:24:04.009 graduates. who come to us to learn how to evangelize 00:24:04.009 --> 00:24:07.289 children. Our graduates are working in 60 different 00:24:07.289 --> 00:24:10.710 countries all over Western Europe. 25 of them 00:24:10.710 --> 00:24:12.890 are working behind the Iron Curtain. They're 00:24:12.890 --> 00:24:14.769 working in the Middle East and Africa, the Far 00:24:14.769 --> 00:24:17.769 East, and many parts of the world. God also gave 00:24:17.769 --> 00:24:20.789 us a burden to educate and train Europeans through 00:24:20.789 --> 00:24:23.950 literature. We bought a watch factory six years 00:24:23.950 --> 00:24:27.849 ago. An old, a real old Swiss watch factory. 00:24:28.619 --> 00:24:31.039 And in that watch factory, we have our printing 00:24:31.039 --> 00:24:34.079 presses. And that's where we turn our literature, 00:24:34.420 --> 00:24:37.720 60 % of which goes in behind the iron curtain, 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:41.660 using literature to train and educate Europeans 00:24:41.660 --> 00:24:44.640 to reach their own boys and girls with the gospel. 00:24:45.200 --> 00:24:49.700 As you pray for us, reaching unreached children, 00:24:49.880 --> 00:24:53.900 training Europeans, pray that we'll reach more 00:24:53.900 --> 00:24:56.759 children. Pray that we'll be better teachers 00:24:56.759 --> 00:24:59.660 and that we'll train more Europeans how to do 00:24:59.660 --> 00:25:02.099 a good job in bringing the gospel to their boys 00:25:02.099 --> 00:25:05.619 and girls. There's one last word, one last ministry 00:25:05.619 --> 00:25:08.859 that we are engaged in. When we came into the 00:25:08.859 --> 00:25:12.559 work that we're now doing in 1964, the end of 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:17.019 1964, we were thinking of reaching and we were 00:25:17.019 --> 00:25:19.039 thinking of training. Those were two burdens 00:25:19.039 --> 00:25:22.210 we had in our hearts from the beginning. This 00:25:22.210 --> 00:25:26.190 third ministry we never had thought about. We 00:25:26.190 --> 00:25:29.549 never had dreamt that this third ministry was 00:25:29.549 --> 00:25:36.690 possible. In 1965, God began to speak to us about 00:25:36.690 --> 00:25:40.829 the boys and girls behind the Iron Curtain. And 00:25:40.829 --> 00:25:44.930 God began to show to us that one half of Europe's 00:25:44.930 --> 00:25:50.019 children live in communist Europe. And the Lord 00:25:50.019 --> 00:25:52.559 Jesus began to show us that he died for those 00:25:52.559 --> 00:25:54.420 children as much as he died for the children 00:25:54.420 --> 00:25:56.940 of Western Europe. And that we had a responsibility 00:25:56.940 --> 00:25:59.519 to reach them as much as we had to reach the 00:25:59.519 --> 00:26:04.140 boys and girls of Western Europe. 1966, God opened 00:26:04.140 --> 00:26:07.980 the door into Czechoslovakia. Communist Czechoslovakia. 00:26:08.619 --> 00:26:12.119 And I can remember the thrill of that first visit 00:26:12.119 --> 00:26:15.720 to Czechoslovakia. We were invited by a little 00:26:15.720 --> 00:26:18.859 group of Christians to come to the Red Star Hotel 00:26:18.859 --> 00:26:23.440 right in the heart of Czechoslovakia for a one 00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:26.960 -week training course. And when we got to the 00:26:26.960 --> 00:26:31.599 Red Star Hotel in Czechoslovakia, we found 135 00:26:31.599 --> 00:26:35.519 Christians waiting for us, packed into the dining 00:26:35.519 --> 00:26:38.839 room of that hotel, not for an hour or for a 00:26:38.839 --> 00:26:42.759 morning or for a day, but they were there for 00:26:42.759 --> 00:26:45.980 the week. And we started to teach them at half 00:26:45.980 --> 00:26:49.220 past eight in the morning, and we had to finish 00:26:49.220 --> 00:26:52.119 for half past nine in the evening. We taught 00:26:52.119 --> 00:26:55.680 them right through all day. Thirteen hours, solid 00:26:55.680 --> 00:26:58.819 teaching, with just brief intervals for meals. 00:26:58.980 --> 00:27:03.009 It was a new experience for me. Here were Christians 00:27:03.009 --> 00:27:05.789 who were really concerned for their children. 00:27:05.930 --> 00:27:08.609 Here were Christians when I suggested, let's 00:27:08.609 --> 00:27:11.549 pray, they would stand up and one would start 00:27:11.549 --> 00:27:13.890 praying here and one would start praying here 00:27:13.890 --> 00:27:16.369 and three or four or five, six were all praying 00:27:16.369 --> 00:27:18.589 at the same time and then somebody would start 00:27:18.589 --> 00:27:21.569 weeping for the children and praying for the 00:27:21.569 --> 00:27:24.170 children. Before long, the whole group were in 00:27:24.170 --> 00:27:28.700 tears praying for their boys and girls. We began 00:27:28.700 --> 00:27:30.859 to see that there were little groups of Christians 00:27:30.859 --> 00:27:34.940 behind the Iron Curtain. And God gave us a ministry, 00:27:35.200 --> 00:27:38.799 and our third key word, God gave us a ministry 00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:43.359 to help. To help, and I think of this verse that 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:46.160 I've shared with you this evening. In Acts chapter 00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:50.460 16 verse 9. Come over into Macedonia, which is 00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:53.779 in Eastern Europe. Come over into Macedonia and 00:27:53.779 --> 00:27:57.660 help us. And I remember one dear pastor in Czechoslovakia 00:27:57.660 --> 00:28:00.140 who came up to me and he threw his arms around 00:28:00.140 --> 00:28:04.190 me. just enveloped me in his arms. And he said, 00:28:04.250 --> 00:28:07.069 brother, thanks for coming in over into Macedonia 00:28:07.069 --> 00:28:10.690 and helping us. We need your help. Show us how 00:28:10.690 --> 00:28:13.769 we can reach our boys and girls with the gospel 00:28:13.769 --> 00:28:18.269 of Jesus Christ. We now have 11 full -time workers 00:28:18.269 --> 00:28:21.609 who are working exclusively behind the iron curtain. 00:28:21.789 --> 00:28:23.509 That's their ministry. That's their complete 00:28:23.509 --> 00:28:26.750 ministry. They live in Vienna and one or two 00:28:26.750 --> 00:28:30.150 other places, and they travel in and out and 00:28:30.150 --> 00:28:33.630 in and out to help the Christians behind the 00:28:33.630 --> 00:28:36.329 Iron Curtain to reach their children with the 00:28:36.329 --> 00:28:39.329 gospel. I was in Poland three years ago. I was 00:28:39.329 --> 00:28:42.210 invited to a training course, a one -week training 00:28:42.210 --> 00:28:44.910 course in a little country church in the south 00:28:44.910 --> 00:28:48.250 of Poland. The snow was on the ground, so much 00:28:48.250 --> 00:28:51.569 snow, temperature away below zero. And I remember 00:28:51.569 --> 00:28:53.789 coming to that little country church and wondering 00:28:53.789 --> 00:28:57.109 who on earth is going to be here. They have no 00:28:57.109 --> 00:28:59.109 automobiles. Who's going to come here through 00:28:59.109 --> 00:29:01.529 all this snow? And when I got into the little 00:29:01.529 --> 00:29:06.390 church, I found packed into that church 276 people 00:29:06.390 --> 00:29:10.490 from all over Poland. One man had traveled 24 00:29:10.490 --> 00:29:14.849 hours to be there, 500 miles. They lived in homes 00:29:14.849 --> 00:29:17.589 around the church. Some of the homes were 7, 00:29:17.769 --> 00:29:20.650 8, 9, 10 miles from the church and they walked 00:29:20.650 --> 00:29:23.930 in through the snow every morning to be in class 00:29:23.930 --> 00:29:26.230 at half past eight and to sit there in class 00:29:26.230 --> 00:29:28.250 all day and then walk back out through the snow 00:29:28.250 --> 00:29:30.950 in the evening because they wanted help. Help 00:29:30.950 --> 00:29:34.130 us to reach our children with the gospel of Jesus 00:29:34.130 --> 00:29:37.130 Christ. Helping them through teaching. Helping 00:29:37.130 --> 00:29:40.000 them through literature. We discovered the Christians 00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:42.539 behind the Iron Curtain. I remember my first 00:29:42.539 --> 00:29:45.539 visit to Poland. I talked with a brother. I said 00:29:45.539 --> 00:29:47.940 to that brother, Brother, what materials? Now, 00:29:47.980 --> 00:29:50.579 here was I naively coming from the West. What 00:29:50.579 --> 00:29:53.819 materials do you use with your children? And 00:29:53.819 --> 00:29:55.519 he looked at me. He said, What do you mean, what 00:29:55.519 --> 00:29:59.539 materials? We don't have any materials. You know, 00:29:59.559 --> 00:30:01.460 in the West, we go into our bookstore. Should 00:30:01.460 --> 00:30:04.160 I use Gospel Light or Scripture Press or CEF 00:30:04.160 --> 00:30:06.039 or David C. Cook? And we see this whole array 00:30:06.039 --> 00:30:09.299 of literature. And we learned in those early 00:30:09.299 --> 00:30:11.759 days in Eastern Europe that those dear friends 00:30:11.759 --> 00:30:15.599 had nothing. Nothing, nothing. No books, no materials, 00:30:15.740 --> 00:30:19.079 no teaching outlines, no visuals, nothing whatsoever. 00:30:19.660 --> 00:30:22.220 And I can remember we said to them, as the Lord 00:30:22.220 --> 00:30:25.680 helps us, we are going to put into your hands 00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:28.700 the materials that you need so that you can reach 00:30:28.700 --> 00:30:31.400 your boys and girls with the gospel. And since 00:30:31.400 --> 00:30:33.859 that time, we have taken in many, many, many, 00:30:33.980 --> 00:30:37.460 many thousands of books. Many thousands of sets 00:30:37.460 --> 00:30:40.900 of visuals, outlines. We've taken them into six 00:30:40.900 --> 00:30:43.259 of the communist countries at least and put them 00:30:43.259 --> 00:30:45.980 into the hands of the believers. Today, there's 00:30:45.980 --> 00:30:48.039 hardly an evangelical church in Poland that's 00:30:48.039 --> 00:30:51.519 not using our child evangelism material. Helping, 00:30:51.519 --> 00:30:54.400 helping the Christians behind the iron curtain 00:30:54.400 --> 00:30:57.859 to reach their children. Dear friends, I think 00:30:57.859 --> 00:31:00.299 the ministry of reaching children is one of the 00:31:00.299 --> 00:31:02.980 most important and most strategic ministries 00:31:02.980 --> 00:31:06.059 in the world today. These are the Europeans of 00:31:06.059 --> 00:31:08.220 the future. These are the teachers, the policemen, 00:31:08.299 --> 00:31:10.960 the parents of the future. We want to reach them 00:31:10.960 --> 00:31:14.259 now before they become hardened in Western Europe 00:31:14.259 --> 00:31:16.799 and Eastern Europe. We want to see boys and girls 00:31:16.799 --> 00:31:20.200 reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We desperately 00:31:20.200 --> 00:31:22.940 need your prayers. We would ask you to pray for 00:31:22.940 --> 00:31:26.759 us. If you want a little visual reminder, we 00:31:26.759 --> 00:31:29.720 have a prayer card. My wife is also with me. 00:31:29.759 --> 00:31:32.470 Perhaps I could ask her to stand. sitting down 00:31:32.470 --> 00:31:35.990 here so that you can see her also. And we would 00:31:35.990 --> 00:31:38.150 be very thankful, as it comes to your mind, if 00:31:38.150 --> 00:31:39.950 you'd like to take one of these cards. I've left 00:31:39.950 --> 00:31:42.309 some out at the table at the outside of the door. 00:31:42.470 --> 00:31:44.569 If you'd like to take one and pin it up somewhere 00:31:44.569 --> 00:31:47.869 and pray for us. Also, our latest prayer letter, 00:31:47.950 --> 00:31:50.509 our report on our work, you'll also find it there 00:31:50.509 --> 00:31:53.109 with lots of detail as to what we have been doing 00:31:53.109 --> 00:31:56.130 during the last 12 months. We're over now in 00:31:56.130 --> 00:31:59.700 USA for four months doing deputation work. Pray 00:31:59.700 --> 00:32:02.200 for us as we live in the car, travel around, 00:32:02.440 --> 00:32:06.000 present our work, as we pray that God will raise 00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:08.380 up more churches and more individuals who will 00:32:08.380 --> 00:32:11.259 feel that they should pray for us and also that 00:32:11.259 --> 00:32:13.539 they should support our work. We do also need 00:32:13.539 --> 00:32:16.380 financial support. Pray that God will raise up 00:32:16.380 --> 00:32:18.339 churches and individuals who will become involved 00:32:18.339 --> 00:32:22.299 in reaching boys and girls in Europe with the 00:32:22.299 --> 00:32:25.380 gospel of Jesus Christ. I just want to tell you 00:32:25.380 --> 00:32:28.049 one story to finish with. Something that happened 00:32:28.049 --> 00:32:30.609 to me just three months ago, very, very recent. 00:32:31.950 --> 00:32:35.289 I was visiting in a church in Germany just in 00:32:35.289 --> 00:32:37.609 January before we left Europe to come over to 00:32:37.609 --> 00:32:42.809 USA. It was a most unusual church because it 00:32:42.809 --> 00:32:46.109 was a Russian church. It was not a German church, 00:32:46.170 --> 00:32:49.720 it was a Russian church. It was in Germany, but 00:32:49.720 --> 00:32:51.680 they asked me to come and preach at their service. 00:32:51.740 --> 00:32:54.559 And when I got there, I discovered this was a 00:32:54.559 --> 00:32:57.900 100 % Russian church. These were Russians who 00:32:57.900 --> 00:33:00.440 were given permission to leave Russia about seven 00:33:00.440 --> 00:33:04.099 years ago. And they had come to Germany and they 00:33:04.099 --> 00:33:06.680 had lived in the same community and built their 00:33:06.680 --> 00:33:09.240 own church, preserved their Russian customs. 00:33:09.799 --> 00:33:11.859 The ladies sat on the right -hand side of the 00:33:11.859 --> 00:33:13.740 church, and the men sat on the left -hand side 00:33:13.740 --> 00:33:16.460 of the church. And the service lasted two hours, 00:33:16.519 --> 00:33:18.460 and then the 20 minutes break, and then they 00:33:18.460 --> 00:33:20.880 gave me another two hours. And with a wonderful 00:33:20.880 --> 00:33:24.339 time together, there were 750 Russians packed 00:33:24.339 --> 00:33:26.819 into the church that night in this church up 00:33:26.819 --> 00:33:29.500 there in northern Germany. But what happened 00:33:29.500 --> 00:33:32.140 after the church service was very interesting. 00:33:32.240 --> 00:33:36.119 I was talking to the pastor of the church. And 00:33:36.119 --> 00:33:38.160 I said to the pastor, I said, Pastor, had you 00:33:38.160 --> 00:33:40.640 a church when you were in Russia? He said, yes. 00:33:41.559 --> 00:33:44.319 He said, I had a church which was unofficial, 00:33:44.400 --> 00:33:47.680 it was illegal, unregistered. And he says, the 00:33:47.680 --> 00:33:50.920 reason why my church was unregistered was because 00:33:50.920 --> 00:33:54.640 we brought the children into church. It's a law 00:33:54.640 --> 00:33:58.019 in Russia, there is a prohibition in Russia against 00:33:58.019 --> 00:34:00.660 bringing children to church. You're not allowed 00:34:00.660 --> 00:34:03.220 children in church until the age of 18, I suppose 00:34:03.220 --> 00:34:05.910 you know that. No child can come to church until 00:34:05.910 --> 00:34:08.449 he's 18 years old. That's the official law in 00:34:08.449 --> 00:34:11.010 Russia. But this pastor said to me, we still 00:34:11.010 --> 00:34:13.670 brought our children to church because we felt 00:34:13.670 --> 00:34:16.550 there was a law higher than the law of the government. 00:34:16.550 --> 00:34:18.809 There was the law of God, and we obeyed that 00:34:18.809 --> 00:34:21.769 law, and we brought our children to church. He 00:34:21.769 --> 00:34:25.369 said, in my congregation there was a lady. There 00:34:25.369 --> 00:34:28.030 was a woman upon whose heart God had placed a 00:34:28.030 --> 00:34:30.710 burden for these boys and girls. And he said, 00:34:30.750 --> 00:34:33.619 every Sunday morning during service, She took 00:34:33.619 --> 00:34:36.559 50 children over to one side, over to one corner 00:34:36.559 --> 00:34:38.980 of the church, and she taught the word of God 00:34:38.980 --> 00:34:42.800 to those 50 children every Sunday morning. He 00:34:42.800 --> 00:34:45.280 said, he told me this three months ago, he said, 00:34:45.380 --> 00:34:48.179 one Sunday morning, the back door of the church 00:34:48.179 --> 00:34:52.300 opened, and in came the police, the KGB. They 00:34:52.300 --> 00:34:54.840 said, he said, they did this quite often. But 00:34:54.840 --> 00:34:57.179 they came in this morning, and they found this 00:34:57.179 --> 00:35:00.000 lady sitting, teaching these 50 children the 00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:03.199 word of God. And they came up to her and they 00:35:03.199 --> 00:35:06.719 took her away to the police station. And the 00:35:06.719 --> 00:35:10.599 following week there was a court trial. And that 00:35:10.599 --> 00:35:13.480 lady was sentenced. She was tried on a charge 00:35:13.480 --> 00:35:16.119 of sedition. Influencing the children against 00:35:16.119 --> 00:35:18.239 the government on a trumped up charge such as 00:35:18.239 --> 00:35:21.940 that. And that lady was sentenced to three years 00:35:21.940 --> 00:35:26.079 in prison. For teaching the word of God to a 00:35:26.079 --> 00:35:29.880 group of 50 boys and girls. And the pastor told 00:35:29.880 --> 00:35:32.360 me, he said, Brother Sam. He says, it would have 00:35:32.360 --> 00:35:37.500 broken your heart to have seen those children 00:35:37.500 --> 00:35:39.960 when the police took that lady away to prison. 00:35:40.920 --> 00:35:43.440 He said, all the children from the Sunday school 00:35:43.440 --> 00:35:47.280 came out and they stood with the tears streaming 00:35:47.280 --> 00:35:50.840 down their cheeks, waving at their teacher and 00:35:50.840 --> 00:35:53.179 saying, teacher, we will be praying for you. 00:35:53.199 --> 00:35:56.260 Hurry back, hurry back. He says, those kids stood 00:35:56.260 --> 00:35:58.780 in tears as their teacher was taken away to prison. 00:36:00.139 --> 00:36:02.440 He wasn't being sentimental. He was just telling 00:36:02.440 --> 00:36:05.780 me a story of what happened. He said she spent 00:36:05.780 --> 00:36:09.480 three years in prison. No remission. You don't 00:36:09.480 --> 00:36:11.639 get remissions in Russian prisons. She spent 00:36:11.639 --> 00:36:14.440 three years in prison. He says, I can remember 00:36:14.440 --> 00:36:16.739 the Sunday morning that she came back to church. 00:36:17.340 --> 00:36:20.900 Three years had passed by. She came into church 00:36:20.900 --> 00:36:23.579 that Sunday morning, much thinner, initiated 00:36:23.579 --> 00:36:26.199 after those three years in that Russian prison. 00:36:26.780 --> 00:36:28.900 She came into church that Sunday morning, and 00:36:28.900 --> 00:36:30.880 then he looked at me, and he says, do you know 00:36:30.880 --> 00:36:35.340 what she did that Sunday morning? Now, I knew 00:36:35.340 --> 00:36:37.920 what he was going to say, but I wanted him to 00:36:37.920 --> 00:36:42.440 say it. I said, what did she do? He says, as 00:36:42.440 --> 00:36:44.679 soon as she came into church that Sunday morning, 00:36:44.840 --> 00:36:47.760 she gathered her children together over in the 00:36:47.760 --> 00:36:50.460 corner, opened her Bible, and continued where 00:36:50.460 --> 00:36:55.110 she had left off three years previously. Now, 00:36:55.130 --> 00:36:57.309 I don't know what a story like that does to you. 00:36:58.550 --> 00:37:01.110 I think our first reaction is to say, well, it 00:37:01.110 --> 00:37:03.449 must be wonderful to have people like that around, 00:37:03.690 --> 00:37:08.389 people who are so dedicated. But after we think 00:37:08.389 --> 00:37:10.610 about it a little bit more, don't we ask ourselves 00:37:10.610 --> 00:37:13.110 this question, would I be willing to do something 00:37:13.110 --> 00:37:16.690 like that? If I knew the KGB were to come in 00:37:16.690 --> 00:37:18.650 through that door now and take me to prison for 00:37:18.650 --> 00:37:22.849 preaching, would I still be preaching? If I knew 00:37:22.849 --> 00:37:24.610 there was the possibility of getting a three 00:37:24.610 --> 00:37:26.409 -year prison sentence, would I still work with 00:37:26.409 --> 00:37:29.510 children? Now, things like that don't happen 00:37:29.510 --> 00:37:31.849 in America. Don't happen like that in Western 00:37:31.849 --> 00:37:35.489 Europe. But are we using the freedom we have 00:37:35.489 --> 00:37:39.190 to do what God wants us to do? Do we have that 00:37:39.190 --> 00:37:41.929 same spirit of complete dedication that Paul 00:37:41.929 --> 00:37:44.630 had, that this lady had? Are we willing, whatever 00:37:44.630 --> 00:37:47.309 God has sent to us this evening, something he 00:37:47.309 --> 00:37:49.610 wants us to do, there's no prison sentence involved, 00:37:49.889 --> 00:37:52.150 there's no danger of anything like that as far 00:37:52.150 --> 00:37:54.769 as you and I are concerned. But are we willing 00:37:54.769 --> 00:37:57.769 to pay whatever price God wants us to pay to 00:37:57.769 --> 00:38:00.690 be obedient to him? Is there someone here struggling 00:38:00.690 --> 00:38:04.099 tonight? God speaking to you about going to Bible 00:38:04.099 --> 00:38:06.400 college. God speaking about full -time work, 00:38:06.480 --> 00:38:08.639 missionary service. God speaking about teaching 00:38:08.639 --> 00:38:11.039 a Sunday school class. God speaking about something 00:38:11.039 --> 00:38:13.260 that he wants us to do and we're holding back. 00:38:14.440 --> 00:38:17.460 Are we willing? God perhaps has closed doors. 00:38:17.579 --> 00:38:20.059 He has given us clear direction. Are we willing 00:38:20.059 --> 00:38:22.820 to be like Paul and say, here I am, Lord. Immediately 00:38:22.820 --> 00:38:27.159 we endeavor to go into Macedonia. Assuredly gathering 00:38:27.159 --> 00:38:30.179 that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel 00:38:30.179 --> 00:38:34.480 unto them. May God give us as a church, as individuals 00:38:34.480 --> 00:38:38.199 tonight, something of that same spirit. No matter 00:38:38.199 --> 00:38:40.639 what it costs, Lord. No matter what price I have 00:38:40.639 --> 00:38:44.059 to pay. I'm going to obey you completely, Lord. 00:38:44.440 --> 00:38:50.619 And do what you have been asking me to do. Our 00:38:50.619 --> 00:38:54.989 Heavenly Father tonight. Even as we think of 00:38:54.989 --> 00:38:58.429 this lady in Russia who was willing to pay this 00:38:58.429 --> 00:39:05.110 price, we are ashamed, Lord, because it has cost 00:39:05.110 --> 00:39:10.710 us so little to serve thee. Oh, Father, if you're 00:39:10.710 --> 00:39:13.070 calling us, if you're calling someone here in 00:39:13.070 --> 00:39:16.630 our congregation tonight to step out, to do something, 00:39:16.730 --> 00:39:21.230 something that might involve something that cost 00:39:21.230 --> 00:39:26.869 price. O Lord, help us to be like Paul and completely 00:39:26.869 --> 00:39:31.489 dedicate ourselves immediately to go into Macedonia, 00:39:31.670 --> 00:39:35.050 assuredly gathering that thou hast called us 00:39:35.050 --> 00:39:38.389 to preach the gospel unto them. And Lord, tonight 00:39:38.389 --> 00:39:40.769 as I stand before this congregation, I can't 00:39:40.769 --> 00:39:42.869 help but think of the boys and girls there in 00:39:42.869 --> 00:39:45.590 Russia, the boys and girls in Poland, the boys 00:39:45.590 --> 00:39:48.190 and girls in Western Europe. Father, this is 00:39:48.190 --> 00:39:50.210 the burden you've placed upon my heart and the 00:39:50.210 --> 00:39:52.679 heart of my wife. the heart of us over there 00:39:52.679 --> 00:39:57.440 in Europe, O Lord, show us what we can do to 00:39:57.440 --> 00:40:00.300 bring the gospel to these kids, these children, 00:40:00.420 --> 00:40:05.539 who have never heard thy name properly explained, 00:40:05.639 --> 00:40:09.880 have never heard the gospel. We pray for a mighty 00:40:09.880 --> 00:40:13.539 work of the Spirit of God in the hearts of the 00:40:13.539 --> 00:40:16.420 children here in America and over there in Europe, 00:40:16.559 --> 00:40:20.460 and show us what part we can play. in reaching 00:40:20.460 --> 00:40:23.380 them for thee. I thank thee for this opportunity, 00:40:23.559 --> 00:40:25.719 Lord, to be here tonight for this wonderful church. 00:40:26.380 --> 00:40:29.880 Bless it, Lord. Bless us all as we go forward 00:40:29.880 --> 00:40:33.719 to serve thee completely and to do whatever you 00:40:33.719 --> 00:40:37.460 ask us to do. I pray this for Jesus Christ's 00:40:37.460 --> 00:40:41.840 sake and for his glory alone. Amen.